Stewart Eugene Haines Jr., 79, went into the arms of Jesus after passing away in his home on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Susan, his loving wife of 45 years, was by his side.
He is survived by his wife, Susan, his sister, Peggy, and his children, Jacob (Annie) Haines and Susanna (Nolan) Donald, Todd McIntosh of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Brian McIntosh of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. He is also survived by his beloved grandchildren, Christina (David) Turner, Matthew Castro, Joshua Haines, Katie Haines, Selah Haines, Asher Donald, Ezra Donald, Esther Donald, and many nieces and nephews. Because of his amazing abilities as a “baby whisperer,” he was also Pops or Stew Pops to countless others.
Stewart was born on May 3, 1943, to Ruth and Stewart “Gene” Haines in Cincinnati, Ohio. A sports fan from an early age, he grew up excelling at both football and track, for which he earned many district-wide accolades. In recognition of his athletic talents, he was selected as 1961’s Senior Sportsman of the Year for Walnut Hills High School. He began college at Miami of Ohio on a football scholarship, but was sidelined by an injury and transferred to the University of Cincinnati. Stewart went on to work in sales and then as a unit sales manager for Proctor and Gamble, traveling throughout the Southeast for more than 29 years.
In 1977, he met and married the love of his life, Susan Lowe, and they lived and raised a family together in Mobile, Alabama, for 35 years. Stewart was a long time member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church, an active band parent who helped renovate the old band room at Davidson High School, and also served on the board at The Playhouse in the Park, where his children spent most of their time.
Stewart loved his family and friends and was the embodiment of the truth that love is a verb. He was never one to stay still for too long, so his ministry was always service. With his ever-present Diet Coke in hand, he modeled the selfless service of Jesus by repairing people’s fences, painting a room (or a whole house), building furniture or shelving, making a meal for a crowd (he was famous for his Cincinnati Chili), serving on a mission trip, or simply playing with his grandchildren, who say he was the best Pops in the whole world. Fixing things — making them better or more beautiful or more functional — was his specialty.
He also loved mystery novels, digging in the dirt, construction projects, old movies, crossword puzzles, great food (especially pie) and groan-inducing dad jokes.
It was a delight to Stewart that he helped renovate and restore the historic 1937 Lowe Family home where he spent the final years of his life enjoying every Auburn sporting event he could reasonably attend. He will be missed by everyone who knew him, except perhaps the referees at those sporting events.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations made in Stewart’s memory to your local library or the Auburn United Methodist Church Food Pantry. A Memorial Service for Stewart was held in the Founder’s Chapel of Auburn United Methodist Church Saturday, Aug. 27, at 11 a.m., with visitation at 10 a.m.